Atlanta begins a streetcar resurgence

Map identifies streetcar routes that would be supported by a 1 percent sales tax. The public will vote on the tax July 1.

Source: Wikipedia

Author:

Philip Langdon

Better! Cities & Towns

US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood went to Atlanta Feb. 1 to join Mayor Kasim Reed in putting shovels into the ground for a 2.6-mile, 12-stop streetcar line running through downtown.

Supported by a $47.6 million federal grant—the largest of the Obama Administration's 2010 TIGER grants—the streetcar line will be operated by MARTA (the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority).

"It will provide much needed public transportation to small businesses, convention centers, and popular destinations like the World of Coca Cola, the Georgia Aquarium and the CNN Center," LaHood said. Among other destinations served are Georgia State University, Centennial Olympic Park, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site, and the historic African-American Auburn Avenue corridor.

"By connecting seamlessly with other rail lines and bicycle routes, the streetcar will allow residents and tourists to get out of their cars and avoid downtown congestion," LaHood noted.

Streetcars first came to Atlanta in 1871 and operated until 1949, Wikipedia reports. A nonprofit organization known as Atlanta Streetcar Inc. (ASC) was formed in 2003 with the mission of bringing streetcars back to downtown.

Big ambitions

The 2.6-mile line, known as the downtown loop, is seen as only the beginning. A Peachtree Corridor line is regarded as a later phase of streetcar operation. Other routes have also been proposed.

In 2010, Georgia passed the Transportation Investment Act, which provides a legal mechanism for regions throughout the state to impose a 1 percent sales tax to fund transportation improvements. Across the state, 12 transportation districts have been established. This summer, voters in each of the districts will authorize or reject the tax within their jurisdiction.

Though most of the Atlanta area projects to be funded through the Transportation Investment Act are roads, an Atlanta Regional Roundtable list indicates that large sums would be devoted to streetcar projects. Tom Weyandt, senior transportation policy adviser in the mayor's office, points out that more than half the funds would go to transit. Included are:

• $166 million for the Atlanta Beltline and Atlanta Streetcar Transit and Trail—Downtown to Northeast.

• $436 million for the Atlanta Beltline and Atlanta Streetcar Transit and Trail—Downtown and Midtown to Southwest.

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